Category: school

Kleenex Field Trips and the American Museum of Natural History

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Having NYC in our backyard is a treat, and one that we try to enjoy as often as we can.  The city, and all of its robust offerings, never fails to entertain, but even better: it also educates.

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Aptly enough, last week, I was invited by my friends at The Motherhood to take part in a field trip to one of our favorite NYC institutions, the American Museum of Natural History.  Having explored the incredible exhibits on our own many times before, this field trip, sponsored by Kleenex, provided a unique behind the scenes experience for some of my blogging friends and our kids.

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Our group gathered at the AMNH to not only check out some of the latest exhibits, but also to learn about Kleenex’s current promotion that underscores the importance of field trips.  Field trips provide kids of all ages an opportunity to engage and absorb new educational experiences firsthand; it gives learning a totally different dimension, which is something that all kids should be able to enjoy.  And judging by the many mouths left agape in amazement throughout our visit, I can testify that our kids, especially my inquisitive preschooler, totally enjoyed themselves at AMNH!

Amazed!

Our first stop of the day was at one of AMNH’s newest exhibits, Frogs: A Chorus of Colors.  My guy practically screamed with excitement at every single case.  He just couldn’t believe all the (live!) frogs and toads in different shapes and sizes.  And since we were visiting right before the museum officially opened, we were told that the frogs’ behavior would be especially interesting.  The highlight of the frog exhibit, besides the video kiosk that showed each different frog’s favorite foods, was witnessing some frogs actually being fed.  Pretty cool!

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Our next stop was the World’s Largest Dinosaurs exhibit, and yet, another exhibit that didn’t disappoint, especially the dinosaur aficionados in our group! The kid had a blast playing with the mechanism that reenact the motions of how a brontosaurus ate.  But it was the fossil pit that was, perhaps, the biggest hit of all.  With “gwobbles,” tools and bones to dig out, we could have been there all.day.long.

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My niece will be visiting next week, so we’re hoping to take another trip to the American Museum of Natural History to discover even more!

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Want to learn more about Kleenex’ Save the Fieldtrip Promotion?  Head to Kleenex’s Facebook page where you can enter to win $5000 toward your school’s own field trip.  In this day and age of cutbacks, I’m sure many teachers, parents and students could benefit from this awesome promo!
And since you’re already on the interwebs, check out their fancy on-the-go packs.  I am in love with the Wallet Packs.  Who knew tissues could be all stylish!

Full disclosure:  I am being compensated for my participation in this campaign.  The field trip was sponsored by Kleenex.  As always, opinions are my own.

Crafts Go Green: Eco-friendly Art Supplies for Kids

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Crafts are a fun family activity, and one that we love doing outside on our deck.  When we’re painting and doing messy crafts outside, the little artist’s canvas seems limitless, and thankfully, cleanup time is much easier—or so it seems.

Many of my favorite eco-friendly crafts are of the DIY variety.  The kid and I are fans of repurposing old household items and painting scraps of wood from our ongoing remodel.  Even better than recycling the medium is making your own tools.  Aside from DIY crafts, there’s a myriad of eco-friendly and kid-friendly art supplies that make craft time safe and colorful.

Here are just a few of my faves:

Glob Arts and Crafts Paints

Glob Art & Crafts Paints are botanically-based paints that also have fruity scents. These paints are colored naturally with pigments from fruits, vegetables, flowers and spices with natural food-grade ingredients. I love the Glob paints that come in packets; all you do is add water when you’re ready. Whether you and the kids are more watercolor painters or gauche painters, you add water and can determine the desired consistency. Glob also comes in Easy Shake jars, paint sets and other kits.

The color palette that’s offered is pretty basic, but after mixing and matching the paints, the spectrum of colors is seemingly endless. Glob can be used for paints, as well as for coloring DIY play dough, coloring eggs and more.

P’kolino

P’kolino, the makers of gorgeous modern children’s furniture and toys, also have a great line of art supplies.  Through a collaboration with Jovi, P’kolino offers kid-friendly, non-toxic art supplies that includes, Triangle crayons, fingerpaints, markers, colored pencils, dough, creative dough and poster paints.  P’kolino recently introduced their new line of art supplies which are inspired by famed Pop Artist, Romero Britto.  And a coloring book inspired by Romeo Britto?  Yes, please.  The sustainability, bold colors, combined with the modern influence of P’kolino’s products make these art supplies ones to check out.

Stubby Pencil Art Studio

Stubby Pencil Art Studio is the mecca for eco-friendly art and school supplies. This online shop has a plethora of kid crafts and a great selection of supplies that are non-toxic, recycled, fair trade, educational, sustainable or environmentally responsible. I love perusing all of the different crafts and unique supplies, many of which you’d be hard pressed to find at your local big box craft store. Of all the green crafting goodness, however, I’d have to say my personal favorites are the cupcake crayons (!) and the colored Smencils. Ideal for birthday party gifts, the colorful, hand-poured cupcake crayons come in a 4-pack and are made of soy. The Smencils are made from 100% recycled newspaper, sharpen just like wood pencils, and have delicious scents like watermelon, bubble gum and cotton candy!

Magnetic Alphabet Sets: Easy on the Eyes and the Noise

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

When we first bought our refrigerator, I pretended that we’d be one of those families that would keep it sleek and clean from any kid-scribbled artwork or other child-like paraphernalia.

Yeah, right.

Fast forward a few months later, and our fridge is graffitied with photos of our own kid, other people’s kids, said artwork and now, those ubiquitous magnetic alphabets.  Don’t get me wrong, I love LeapFrog’s Fridge Phonics, but just a few minutes at a time. So, out of personal preference, we opted out of the popular plastic ABCs in lieu of a set of the wooden (and quiet) kind.

As with most families of young ones practicing their ABCs and 123s, the magnetic alphabet has been an invaluable learning resource. Here’s a slideshow of our picks of alternatives to the more popular magnetic alphabet sets, and ones worth checking out.

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Pat Bells Put Music at Kids’ Fingertips

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Colorful, beautiful and eye-catching, Pat Bells from PlayMe aren’t toys, but unique musical instruments that can be played with a slight tap of a wooden knob.  Each handbell in the 8-piece set is a different color of the spectrum, making it easy for kids to make their own music or follow song cards that feature notes with the corresponding bells’ colors.

Designed for kids ages 3 and up, the Pat Bells have been used in a variety of music education settings, including kids with special needs.  As opposed to traditional handbells, there are no handles to hold or mallets needed to strike, so Pat Bells are described as being “easy to play” for younger kids or who have low muscle tone or delayed motor skill development.

When I spotted these gorgeous bells at Toy Fair, I was immediately drawn in by the colors and striking design.  At $150, the bells may not find their way into personal music collections, but I’d love to see these in preschools, music classes and especially in the hands of music lovers of all ages.

Want to see the bells in action? I found a really great video on YouTube that gives a great demo.

Share Your Breakfast and Help Fight Childhood Hunger

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Imagine not having the resources to adequately feed your child; even worse–sending your child to school on an empty stomach.

According to a survey released a few weeks ago, two-thirds of teachers across the U.S. say they have children in their classrooms who regularly come to school too hungry to learn because they are not getting enough to eat at home.  It’s a proven fact that hunger impedes our childrens’ ability to learn and perform academically, but fortunately, there are organizations and brands who are shedding light on childhood hunger.

Kellogg’s has partnered with Action for Healthy Kids to help remedy this sad reality of childhood hunger.  With their campaign, “Share Your Breakfast” Kellogg’s is is asking people to take pictures and “share their breakfast” on their website.

From now until July, an uploaded a photo of your breakfast can help combat childhood hunger.  One photo upload to www.shareyourbreakfast.com or the word SHARE texted with a photo or a description of your breakfast to 21534 equals one shared breakfast.

With nearly 1 in 4 kids in America struggling with hunger, Kellogg’s goal is to share 1 million breakfasts in the 2011-2012 school year.  With all the information I share online here on NKT, on Facebook and Twitter, a simple photo of breakfast is the least I can do to help a child in need.  We hope to do our part and share our breakfast as soon as we can, and I sincerely hope you consider to do the same.

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Kellogg’s will be kicking off the Share Your Breakfast campaign tomorrow in NYC in Grand Central Station, where they will be feeding thousands of people breakfast from 6am to noon.  I’m hoping to make my way over there to help support this worthy cause.

Aside from uploading a photo of your breakfast, you can help spread the word about this important campaign. There will be a Share Your Breakfast Twitter party tomorrow, March 8 from 10 – 12 AM EST. Be sure to visit www.mombloggersclub.com for more details.

Disclosure:

This is a sponsored post through a compensated Mom Bloggers Club member program.

Vday Goodies for Girls

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, so I thought it’s a good a time as any to share some cute finds that channel lots of love, practicality and a whole lot of springtime, too.

Lambs & Ivy, Beaba, Children's Place, Ralph Lauren

A big fan of giving practical gifts in lieu of trinkets that will get sucked up by the vacuum, I wanted to spotlight a few of the many cool hot pink snack containers and bottles that are out right now.

  • Boon, always a forward-thinking baby gear company, makes a Snack Ball in a hot pink.
  • And the Kid Easy Squeeze Chopsticks from Fred, are an inspiration from a friend and reader whose boys love eating with chopsticks.  Utensils with little dudes on them=cute and practical gift ideas that will go beyond Valentine’s Day.
  • As a writer, I always have a notebook and pen handy. I think this sparkly heart notepad from Children’s Place is another fun inexpensive gift idea that’s practical and encourages creativity. Pair the notebook with a few cutesy pencils and erasers, and you have a cheap gift bag that will go on to get good use in class.
  • And the cupcake necklace? I’ll have a batch of real ones to go along with that too, please!
  • Want to find out more info about the other products? You can click on each item to get info via ShopStyle.

OshKosh Rolls out B’gosh Basics

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Purveyor of classic children’s clothing, OshKosh B’gosh has announced a new line of separates called B’gosh Basics.  The line that underscores the brand’s affordability factor features wardrobe staples in sizes ranging from babies to big boys and girls. Primary colors and solids dominate the B’gosh Basics line, but are complemented with bold colors like pink, green and orange.

With the mix and match options, B’gosh Basics add more versatility to school and play clothes.  The Basics adds a little flair with fun details such as the ruffled skirts and graphic prints.

OshKosh is one of our go-to brand for play clothes because of the low price point, yet durability.  The kid’s OshKosh sweat pants and t-shirts tend to get the most washed and worn, I do notice that some colors fade over time. (Then again, I’m sure that’s the case for many other brands, too.)  Overall, you can’t beat OshKosh’s prices and sales, and I’m sure the same goes for B’gosh Basics.

B’gosh Basics can be found online and at OshKosh stores.

Time for Kids Releases Two New Titles for Curious Kids

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

While strolling Costco this weekend, my three-year old looked up at me and innocently asked, “Do donkeys go to church?”

And before I could answer the first question, he then asked, “What do donkeys do?”

The past few weeks, the kid has done his best to stump us with his curiosity and long list of questions, impossible questions included.  We do our best to answer them, but sometimes, truly, I have no answer because I really don’t know!  As every parent knows, kids are innately curious and they love to ask questions, which why I totally appreciate these new releases from Time for Kids.

Just in time for Halloween, the editors of Time for Kids released two new books for our inquisitive and answer-starved kid: That’s Awesome and The BIG Book of Why.

Geared to school-aged kids to read on their own, Time for Kid’s new books aim to answer many questions that even the littler ones might ask.

The Big Book of Why features 1,001 facts, including the science or history to further explain the answer in a straightforward and kid-friendly way.


And with Halloween in mind, here are some fun excerpts from The Big Book of Why:

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Snack Nation: Package Your Own Healthy Snacks

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

In case you haven’t heard, apparently, we’re raising a generation of constant snackers.

As Wendy Sachs recently wrote in the Huffington Post, “From cleverly packaged organic cookies to crisp 100 Calorie chips, we offer snacks as distraction and entertainment.”

Those prepackaged snacks are so easy to grab and just throw in a bag when you’re on the go…or to alleviate meltdowns. I’m guilty of it, too.  No judgments here!  But on a different note,  just because it’s organic doesn’t necessarily mean it’s that great of a snack for the kid, especially if they’re having tons of it, all day long.

A lot of kids are devouring those prepackaged snack foods, which are high in calories and low in nutrients, as pointed out in a MayoClinic.com article.

So, why don’t we nip these bad habits in the bud, and go for a healthier, old-fashioned route: snacks that we package ourselves?

Grapes, cheese and crackers

Instead of grabbing for cutesy prepackaged and highly processed “fruit” snacks, why not put together fresh fruit and add a little protein like low-fat cheddar cheese?

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Happy 90 Years, Scholastic!

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

I can still remember those awesome days, sitting in a circle, indian-style at the library, listening to my grade school librarian read a silly story about Amelia Bedelia aloud during story time.  Or, how about those days when the latest Scholastic book club flyers went out?  I can still remember circling every awesome book on every page.  Or what about those awesome book fairs? Or how about collecting every single Babysitter’s Club book and re-reading them five times over.

These days, I practically squeal with excitement when we head to Soho, because that usually means a gratuitous trip to the Scholastic store—a trip that I wholeheartedly enjoy as a lifelong book lover grooming the next generation of book nerds. My boy embraces his Clifford classics.  And hello, a specific Pirate potty training book made life a little easier during these trying months.

Perhaps you have similar memories, or maybe more current ones of how Scholastic has impacted your life?

Today, Scholastic celebrates quite a monumental anniversary.  Ninety years ago, Robbie Robinson created the first issue of a magazine called The Western Pennsylvania Scholastic. Today, Scholastic is now the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books.

Based on the awesome microsite to celebrate this anniversary, Scholastic has had a fabulous 90 years thus far!

If you’re in the NYC area today, be on the lookout for the many ways Scholastic is celebrating their special day.  They’ll be in Times Square, Central Park, outside the American Museum of Natural History, at the Liberty/Ellis Island Ferry Terminal, and  outside Scholastic HQ at 557 Broadway and will even be ringing the closing NASDAQ bell.  A busy day celebrating in NYC will be capped off with the Empire State building glowing a bright red as a nod to Scholastic’s amazing 90 years.

To emphasize their impact on the importance in reading for kids of all ages, Scholastic also announced their latest global campaign, Read Every Day/ Lead a Better Life.  It’s so fitting, isn’t it?  Check it out and be sure to fill out the Reading Bill of Rights to take part.

Congrats, and here’s to 90 more years of awesomeness, Scholastic!